Thursday 26 March 2015 - Editorial Assistant

UK shopping centre company intu will soon install secure, out-of-home and free-to-use ChargeBox phone chargers, in all of its UK branded shopping centres.

ChargeBox phone chargers were trialled in four of intu’s shopping centres: intu Bromley, intu Merry Hill, intu Metrocentre and intu Trafford Centre, during the months of November and December.

Feedback through Tell intu, the UK’s only national shopping centre feedback system, meant that intu could fully evaluate its popularity. Results showed that:

“Customers carried on shopping or relaxed in a coffee shop while their phones charged, adding to dwell times for existing retailers and restaurants, helping existing shops and restaurants to flourish. It also gives another reason for customers to travel from further and stay for longer.”

Intu said that the “overwhelmingly positive feedback” encouraged a national roll out.

The company’s 15 branded centres will have the capacity to charge 1m mobile phones per year. Each securely locked ChargeBox has a choice of connectors and will work with most Apple, Android and Windows phones.

Richard Gutsell, Business Development Director of ChargeBox, said: “Mobile phones are an integral part of modern life, from browsing the web during a shopping trip to maintaining contact with friends and family across a shopping centre. Industry research shows the use of mobile phones starts to fall off in the late afternoon as batteries run flat. The intu roll out will ensure its customers can now remain connected for as long as they wish.”

Roger Binks, Customer Experience Director of intu, said “Phone chargers are the latest addition to the intu signature customer experience programme. We have the most digitally connected shopping centres allowing customers to enjoy omni-channel shopping. Free wifi, free click-and-collect for purchases from numerous top retailers through intu.co.uk, free apps at many of the centres, Collect+ and now free phone chargers too.

And that means our centres are places full of compelling experiences where customers can enjoy whole days out to meet friends or spend time with the family.”